Never the Same
by Saber Wing
Summary: Seimei, of course, had wanted nothing more than to see its brutal work in action. The butterflies he’d caught beforehand had been just the right fit. “You see, Soubi? It didn’t have a chance. It never did.”


_**Author's Note: **_Just a drabble I thought of at random. Random ideas pop into my head often ^_^. My last Loveless oneshot was a huge success. I really had no idea that so many people would love it that much, but I'm glad!

Soubi is such an interesting character, and I wanted to write something from his point of view. This was the perfect opportunity. I don't own Loveless, or the characters. Like every other fangirl out there, I really wish I did D:

On with the story!

**Never The Same**

**By: Angel Wings-008**

Red, blue, orange, purple…every color he could think of. Soubi stood frozen in silent awe, the sights before him stopping him dead in his tracks. Plants that must have been from every corner of the world, many he'd never even heard of, grew in a rainbow of bright colors everywhere he looked; some at his feet, others as vines twisting around the decorative arches that loomed high above the ground. A small smile tugged at his lips, despite the aching of his heart. These gardens were beautiful; more so than he remembered. Of course, that came as no surprise. The last time he had come here had been quite different, though he supposed that was an understatement. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't.

His last trip here had been with his former Sacrifice around two years ago, though the young man certainly hadn't come to marvel at the majesty of the gardens. Seimei was too twisted for that; cold, calculating, and manipulative. He was about as interested in conventional beauty as he was in kindness and love. There had been a special kind of plant he'd wanted to see; a carnivorous one that he found fascinating. Soubi was hardly surprised that Seimei felt a certain kinship with it. They were predators, he'd said; one and the same. This particular type of plant was too rare for him to buy one himself, so he'd been forced to look to other sources. It had been almost an obsession for him. To anyone else, such a thing would most likely be of an academic or recreational interest, nothing more.

Seimei, of course, had wanted nothing more than to see its brutal work in action. The butterflies he'd caught beforehand had been just the right fit.

"_You see, Soubi? It didn't have a chance. It never did." _

Even after two long years, he had to suppress a shudder. No pair of eyes could hold such a cold gleam in their depths; no tone of voice could possess such cruelty. It was simply impossible for mortal men. He couldn't be human. He was something else entirely; a monster, a beast.

"Wow… Soubi, look at this!" Ritsuka shouted from beside him, and though he truly didn't want to tear himself away from his self-induced melancholy, he dutifully glanced toward where the boy was pointing. Ironically enough, it was the very same type of plant that had so transfixed his brother. If he'd been able to find any humor in that, he would have laughed.

"What is it?" asked Ritsuka, eyes bright and curious. Crouching down to get a better look, he cocked his head, then turned to gaze innocently up at Soubi. "Do you know?"

"It's a carnivore, Ritsuka. A variation of the Venus fly trap. It waits patiently, then captures its prey when anything dares to venture too close. People often fear them for it." Those words were imprinted into him now, along with other facts about such plants. Much of the research had been done by him as well. If Seimei had ordered it, he had obeyed. Whether he wanted to or not made no difference.

His young Sacrifice's eyes narrowed and his lips turned down slightly at the corners, which, Soubi had learned, was the way Ritsuka frowned when he was truly disappointed. "That's a shame."

This time it was Soubi's turn to cock his head. "Why do you say that?" Of all possible responses, he hadn't been expecting this one.

"It's not fair that it has to kill everything that comes its way just to survive. It's not the plant's fault it was born to be that way. We're not so different, really. No matter how you live, all things have to die someday." With sad violet eyes, Ritsuka continued to stare, looking as if he wanted to reach out and touch it. For a moment the boy seemed hesitant, as if he wasn't sure he should say what was on his mind. Despite that, he reached a decision after a second or two. Biting his lip the way he did when he was nervous, he glanced back up at Soubi, a slight blush tinting his cheeks.

"Do you think it ever gets…lonely?"

For a second he could do nothing but stand still, mouth just slightly ajar, but it didn't last for long. Before he knew it, he could feel the warmth spread within him, ushering in overwhelming happiness in place of the sadness and regret. His burdens weren't so hard to bear, as long as he had Ritsuka. Soubi's face broke out into a smile, unconcealed and genuine. Maybe there was purity left in this world after all.

As his Sacrifice blushed an even deeper red, Soubi crouched down beside him and grabbed his hand, threading their fingers tightly together, never wanting to let him go.

He no longer needed orders to love the sweet little face that was turned up to his, so innocent and pure. There were many things he thought he knew, but one thing was for certain. No matter what he had ever predicted, the brothers were never the same. They both lived, and they would both eventually die; that was where the similarities ended. Maybe Ritsuka was right. Regardless of what manner of creature Seimei was, mortality could not be escaped.

"Perhaps it does, Ritsuka. It lives and dies the same."

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I really wanted to work with a lot of symbolism in this piece. It was fun; I think I succeeded ^_^

I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated!


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